Sunday November 1, 2015

Dear Brothers and Sisters:
This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints.  This joyful occasion is an opportunity for us to pray for and meditate on our journey toward heaven.  The saints, brothers and sisters, are men and women who lived outstanding lives while in this world.  They made Jesus’ teachings their goal in life.  They were humble enough to recognize their human frailty and to seek God’s mercy and forgiveness.  Above all, they lived lives of service to God and to community.  
The saints are now in the Triumphant Church with God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and with all the angels in heaven.  Their souls are now in the presence of God where there is no pain, suffering, temptation or sin.  We, dear friends, are still in the Pilgrim Church, the Church which is still on the journey.  We have faith and hope that one day we will join the saints in heaven.  Our hope for heaven relies on Jesus’ promise that He will prepare a place for us and come back and take us to Himself (John 14:3).
The saints’ lives are examples which give us courage to continue our fight against evil and sin.  They care about us and have become powerful intercessor for us.  Some of them are men and woman which we have probably met while they were still here with us.  Names such as Saint John Paul II and Mother Teresa of Calcutta are still fresh in our minds.  Let us celebrate with joy the life of the saints with the hope that one day we will be in heaven with them all.
God bless St. Patrick Parish.
                                                Fr. Lopez

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